South Island is the largest of the members of New Zealand . It has a lot of interesting natural and historical attractions, attracting many tourists from all corners of the globe.
general information
The west coast of the island will please fans of the mountains - here stretched the Southern Alps with the highest point of all New Zealand, which is the mountain of Cook . Its height reaches 3754 meters. Another 18 peaks exceed the height of 3 kilometers.
Also in the mountains there are glaciers, valleys, small, but nice and cozy towns in the British style. In them - a large number of theaters, art galleries, colorful pubs.
Cities
Architectural attractions will please Dunedin - it is rightfully considered the most Scottish city of New Zealand , and therefore it is often called "New Zealand Edinburgh." As you might guess, the settlers from Scotland founded him, choosing for this the remains of a long-dead volcano. The city has a unique terrain, with many inclined streets, and beautiful Gothic buildings.
Naturally, the largest inhabited locality in this part of the country - Christchurch - deserves to be mentioned. In it you can admire a large number of buildings all in the same Gothic style, and modern buildings erected in the urban style of high-tech. There are also natural sights - for example, the Botanical Garden, spread out on an area of 30 hectares and amazes with an abundance of vegetation, including exotic.
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Among other architectural attractions of the South Island, not related to settlements, the Pelorus Bridge deserves a mention. It connects the rocky banks of the river with the same name, flowing through the reserve with beautiful beech forests, in which, however, there are also larch, and also grows a fern.
It is noteworthy that it was in this area that one of the episodes of fantasy "The Hobbit was shot. An unexpected journey ", when the dwarves rafted in barrels along the river.
Animal world
The South Island has its own unique flora and fauna, protected by nature reserves, national parks, which are slightly lower, and for now a little about the special animal world of New Zealand .
First of all, the town of Kaikoura, located on the sea coast, deserves a mention. Tourists rush into it, that to admire floating around the year near the shore of marine animals, such as the blue whale, dolphins, sperm whales and others.
You can watch them both from the shore and from the boat - for this purpose there are excursion tours. It is noteworthy that if during a boat trip the tourists will not be able to see whales, the money paid for the tour will be returned.
It should be noted and the Penguin Place reserve, which is located not far from Dunedin . It is rather small, but there are many places for several hundred yellow-eyed penguins and it is not required. By the way, they remained around the world only about 4 thousand.
Mountains, hills, fjords and glaciers
On the South Island fjords are often found. On the fjord of Milford Sound there are special areas, from which tourists enjoy unique New Zealand views.
But the fans of the book and the movie "The Hobbit. Unexpected Journey "is recommended to visit the Takaka hills, which have become an excellent illustration of Middle-earth. The hills have a fantastic view, formed by a multitude of boulders and marble rocks.
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National parks and reserves
About the Southern Alps we have already mentioned briefly, as well as that Mount Cook is the highest point of the South Island in New Zealand. It belongs to the national park Aoraki , also Mount Cook. It is interesting that the peak is named after the great traveler and pioneer, but the first European seafarer to notice the summit was Abel Tasman.
Here is the rain forest, which also attracts tourists to the South Island of New Zealand - this is a charming, truly fabulous place, named so because of the high rainfall. Every year, up to 7600 millimeters of rain falls here. Forests consist of special trees that grow only in these parts of the earth. There are other plants, flowers that are not found in other parts of the planet.
Abel-Tasman is a small but nice and cozy national park, one of the smallest in New Zealand. He will be pleased with the furnished beaches, recreation areas and camping grounds, forests and groves. Many green tourism enthusiasts go there, because in the park you can go kayaking or spend some unforgettable days in a tent on the shore of the sea bay.
Other attractions: from lake to old railway
On the southern island of many other attractions. For example, be sure to take the opportunity to ride the old Taieri Gorge railway on a retro-steam train. The length of the road is almost 80 kilometers, and the train rushes between picturesque meadows, mountain slopes, forests and the most beautiful railway bridges.
But fans of skiing are encouraged to go to the Remarkables, where the nearby resort is located near Lake Wakatipu.
Picturesque places also got into the movie about the hobbit, and in addition to this tape, the trilogy "The Lord of the Rings" and one more famous fantasy film "The X-Men: The Beginning" were shot here. Wolverine".
It is recommended to visit Lake Pukaki, which is fed from glaciers, which is due to the amazing turquoise color of its water, which, moreover, is incredibly clean. Conveniently located on the shore of the lake, you can admire the mountain of Cook, inspired by a peaceful view.
Summarizing
And this is not all the sights that the South Island of New Zealand is rich in. For example, mention deserves Lake Tekapo, Lake Matheson , Golden Bay Bay, Nugget Point Lighthouse, Knox Church, Cadbury chocolate factory and many others.